In the UK it is traditional to kiss under the mistletoe at Christmas. Mistletoe is a symbolic kissing plant due to the Norse legend of Baldur. Baldur the son of Odin and Frigg was killed by a spear of mistletoe, but then resurrected. Henceforth, a grateful Frigg vowed to kiss anybody she caught strolling under the repentant mistletoe. However, in another interpretation of this legend Frigg declares that mistletoe be a symbol of peace and good luck. During WWI it was common for silk cards embroidered with mistletoe to be given as good luck tokens, and it was the custom in France to give mistletoe at…

Everyone seems to sell diet plans after Christmas so here is mine. This is based on something I wrote as a leaving gift to my colleague and friend Jane ten years ago. The stress levels have not changed in a decade it seems!

Disclaimer: There are expletives and sexual references in this. Jane has a somewhat robust sense of humour so the content was tailored with her in mind. Views do not necessarily reflect those of the author…..however, I have personally experienced many of the management techniques listed…

By Anon.

(But I’ll be really bloody hurt if you can’t work out who wrote it)

For Jane. Friend, Black Belt in Wai-ki Wai-ki, the ancient art of the early morning phone call.

The Stress-Plan Diet

Work in Partnership with your bosses to lose those excess pounds! The Author lost a third of his body weight in a year following this diet!

Actually, I wrote this a few weeks ago when I first hit 50 followers so it is getting rapidly out of date (now past 70 followers 🙂 ). When my friend Kylee hit 50 followers she made a list of 50 facts about herself. With her kind permission I have borrowed the idea. I am a little worried it leaves me nothing to say in future!

In the intervening time I have removed some things I decided I was not comfortable sharing, and added some new stuff. It should give you a good idea of what I am like and I have tried to infuse it with my warped sense of humour…

I am a lifelong vegetarian.

I didn’t go to my own 18th birthday party.

Bullying of any kind makes my blood boil. I detest bullies. Ignorance and upbringing is not an excuse.

In addition to the Whitefriars Cross mentioned in my previous post, The Cross at Whitecross, Hereford also has a Blackfriars Cross.

This is to be found closer to the centre of Hereford City in the ruins of the Dominican Blackfriars Monastery. The friary was established in 1322, with the preaching cross in the cemetery. The preacher would stand inside the structure and proselytize to whoever gathered to listen. The nearby Coningsby Hospital was originally built in 1200 by the Knights’ Hospitallers, the crusading knights of the Order of St John.

The preaching cross is a very rare example, I have read that it is the only surviving example. The cross was pretty much just a ruin when the famous artist Turner painted it. As with the Whitefriars Cross, the Victorians restored the preaching cross in 1864. They seemed to be fond of using their new found industrial skills to…

There is an area of Hereford known as Whitecross, named after the cross standing in the middle of the roundabout where two main routes into the city converge. I passed the cross during my stroll during the blizzard mentioned in a previous post; Snow! In Hereford!

Originally known as the Whitefriars Cross, after the religious order, it was erected in the 14th Century. The hexagonal base is still the original, made of local sandstone, whereas the cross itself was restored in 1864. It required further repairs in 2005 after a car crashed into it.

The base consists of eight steps, one of which is below ground level, a pedestal and socket stone. The pedestal has six recessed panels which were decorated and include the coats of arms of the Charleton family. It is topped by a foliated Latin cross. Lewis de Charleton was the Bishop of Hereford 1361-9 and it…

Christmas is a time for family, friends and merriment. However, for some it is also a poignant time of year when bereavement and losses are felt keenly. My thoughts are with those who are feeling sad and lonely at this time of year.